I have a few minutes this morning (just a few . . . we’re in the middle of percents and decimals over here; for the record, I didn’t understand them when I was in the 6th grade; at forty-six years old, I can’t say my grasp is much better, but I digress. Forgive me; it happens a lot these days. Homeschooling is a real buzzard at times). So with earplugs in place to drown out the background noises of the DVD instruction taking place in the adjacent kitchen, I sit down in front of my computer to ask you, even as I am asking myself, a question.
What allowances in your life are hampering your pursuit of holiness? What temporal triggers are you tolerating that are messing up God’s eternal mandate to you to “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)?
I know this is a weighty question attached to an even weightier requirement. But it belongs to us as God’s children, both the question and the requirement. We cannot forsake them in the name of relevancy or of being compatible with a world that is adamantly opposed to and kicking against the tenets of a surrendered life. The world will always kick against surrender. Why? Because surrendering requires submission to a higher authority thereby relinquishing control to that higher authority. When surrender suits our fancy—when our ears are tickled and our flesh is fed and dressed with temporal delights—we’re quick to bend the knee. When surrender suits God’s fancy—when our hearts are pricked and our flesh is drained of temporal delights in order to make room for his everlasting righteousness—we’re slower to yield.
We’re still so very attached to this world, are we not? Still holding on to the little we have left (our possessions and our flesh) falsely assuming that the more we manage them, the more we control them, the greater our contentment in the end.
What tragedy! What defeat! What exhaustion! We’re killing ourselves in exchange for a few moments of temporary pleasure instead of dying to ourselves in exchange for a lifetime of eternal treasure. When and where and how did our consecrated focus turn into wretched blindness? Was yours a quick plunge into dissipation or a slow fade into darkness? Again, my question to you and to myself . . .
What allowances in your life are hampering your pursuit of holiness?
Let me suggest a practical approach to answering this question; time is of the essence (not just in the 6th grade classroom, but in the classroom called life):
- Make a list. Find a pencil, a piece of paper, and some quietness. Open up your mind and your heart before the Father and list every allowance in your life that is a hindrance to your pursuit of holiness. Television? The Internet? Music? Habits? Attitudes? Memories? Compulsions? Addictions? If you’re not sure whether or not these allowances are in keeping with God’s mandate for holiness, then ask yourself the following questions:
What am I feeding? My soul or my flesh? Would God linger here . . . in this place of my allowance? How does my soul feel after I’ve pushed away from the table? Full, empty, or soured? Once you’ve made your list, then . . .
- Make a commitment. Prayerfully consider this list before God and allow him his voice in the matter of your holiness. Take time to read a few scriptures pertaining to holiness and give attention to the Holy Spirit’s prompting within. Here are a few to get you started: 1 Peter 1:13-25, 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1, Romans 6:15-23, Hebrews 12.
What “letting go”, what surrender is he asking of you in order to make more room for the holiness he longs to pour into you? God will not leave you hanging here; if you are earnestly and sincerely approaching the Father regarding the matter of personal holiness, he will clearly and directly approach you regarding his. Listen in, and, then, with his mandate in mind . . .
- Make a move. Don’t sit on conviction. Move on it. Start crossing off your allowances, one at a time, even if it hurts. If you tarry with your conviction (thinking perhaps that by thinking on it another day will clear the matter up), you’ll lose it. You’ll no longer be convinced that this particular allowance is hindering your holiness. Instead, you’ll coddle it, keep it close to your soul until it moves you so far away from the voice of Jesus, you’ll no longer be able to discern his amongst those competing for your attention.
Make a move. Do it while you have the borrowed strength from the Holy Spirit to do so. When you entertain Jesus in your heart, you have the enabling power of all heaven to move you forward in your consecrated pursuit of holiness.
There you have it; my few minutes. Actually, a few more than a few. There have been some interruptions along the way. No matter. At noon, my heart is still fixed upon what my heart was fixed upon at the beginning of my day . . .
My pursuit of holiness. To make a list, make a commitment, and then, by God’s empowering grace, to make a move in the right and good direction.
To God I go. To God I will cling. To God be the glory; great things he is doing in the lives of his children! Keep to it, friends. As always . . .
Peace for the journey,
PS: I couldn’t have just one winner of the If Birds Could Fly CD, so Lori and Laura, you’re both going to get a copy! Beth just met with Brittany at Pizza Hut; once I have them, I’ll mail them to you. Enjoy.
Well you have sure given me a lot to think about! Defeat and exhaustion could well describe me today. And it’s all of my own doing of that I am sure. Thank you for the reminder to seek out the things that are draining me from being able to become holy!
Marilyn
There’s a lot of drain on all of us, Marilyn, so many things we let creep in to steal our focus and our joy. I know I need to be more deliberate about keeping my heart and mind pure, and the best way for me to do this is to 1) stay in the Word and 2) be careful about how much of the world I allow into my day. Still and yet, we’re called to be light in darkness, so there must be a balance. Perhaps by keeping one foot in the world is the venue God can use to refine us. We must remain open to his shaping, however it comes. Love you, sister.
Powerful.
In recent days I have been pondering something similar: the seeking FIRST of His Kingdom. Funny how things just fall into place when we search for that which He’d have us searching for.
I’ve always wondered if holiness is the by-product of Kingdom seeking, or a discipline we cultivate, or both. You’ve given me much more to add to the wondering. Good stuff at that!
This was soo good Elaine. I don’t know if I have thought about pursuing holiness recently and I have to ask myself why not? I have been REALLY concentrating and working at hearing His voice and then DOING what I know He is leading to me to do. I have felt good about that as how can you not feel good about that what brings you closer to Him? However honestly tonight I am feeling somewhat defeated. One thing after another has hit us this week, and tonight’s news has left me wondering what is the point? Sometimes life is just soo hard. But your post has brought me back around to thinking our “points” here on this earth are not about anything more than pursuing holiness. Nothing on this earth is EVER as important. Enjoy your week-end!
The closer we move toward Jesus, the clearer our “heart” vision. The goal in my writing this post was not to bring condemnation to anyone but to challenge all of us to examine those “things” in our lives that might be lulling us into a spiritual sort of slumber–those triggers that pull us away from a mind fixed on Christ. I’ve allowed my mind/heart to wander this week. I’m trying to cut some of the crud out of my life. I’m sorry for your troubling week. Prayers for peace, sister. You are not alone.
Awesome.
Great post. I could give you an alphabet of hinderences in my life. I’ll start with the biggest one – Attitude.
Lately, it’s been the cloak of ugliness that is keeping my savior from doing a perfect work in me.
Wondering if I should keep from reading the news? Each time I read what is going on in our country I’m sick and sad, which leads to bitterness and my awful, ugly attitude.
Thanks for the scriptures, friend, I’ll be looking them up today!
I, too, am being challenged in God’s holiness and my response to His holiness.
In the Old Testament, God preserves the holiness of His name at any cost; even at the loss of thousands of lives. He is God, He is over all; He is sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. God and His name will not be mocked!
In this past week I feel like I was challenged in accepting His holy Word. Do I accept it in part or in whole? Do I read and take what I want from the Bible or do I read the whole Bible aspiring to live out the written mandates in both Old and New Testament?
I realized I am tired of the “gray”, abstract Christian lifestyle I exemplify. I desire to honor the holiness of God and respect and represent the holiness of His ABSOLUTE name, even to the point of separating myself from the nominal teaching at my church. I learned that word this week, nominal. I am sick of the casualness and nominal attitude I have in regards to God, His name and who He is. God, forgive me!
“If you don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.”
― John Piper, A Hunger For God
Excellent! Thank you for your more than a few moments of sharing with us. A pen, some paper and some quiet–for my pursuit of holiness. I cannot think of anything more appropriate or more needed! And the practical steps!! Thank you! Love, joy and blessings!
“Would God linger here . . . in this place of my allowance? ”
GREAT question !
Loved that you gave us ‘homework’… practical application.
The following is so true….
“If you tarry with your conviction (thinking perhaps that by thinking on it another day will clear the matter up), you’ll lose it. You’ll no longer be convinced that this particular allowance is hindering your holiness. Instead, you’ll coddle it, keep it close to your soul until it moves you so far away from the voice of Jesus, you’ll no longer be able to discern his amongst those competing for your attention.”
The conviction of the Holy Spirit in our lives….is to lead us into ‘holiness’. We are so blinded by our flesh. We cant even take inventory of our allowances without the help of the Holy Spirit. Simply asking the Holy Spirit to search us and show us…will suffice. He will! But writing it down helps to keep it in front of us, as we seek His will in our lives. GREAT advice.
I think we shy away from this inventory stuff…because once the Holy Spirit removes our blindness… and our hearts convicted… we find ourselves at a crossroads between responsibility and self will. We are held accountable for our ‘knowing’. It moves from an ‘allowance’ to a responsibility to live our lives as Christ would…and did, when he walked this earth. It suddenly carries more weight. It is easier…to walk in compromise and never force ourselves to look beyond our will towards His.
I, for one, am easily convicted. Ever since I was a little girl, I have recognized the conviction of my heart. It doesn’t take a loud booming voice to convict me 🙂 But Because of this, I also hear the ‘condemnation’ of the enemy. For me, it is easier to yield to the conviction of the Holy Spirit than to entertain the pounding gavel from the enemy. JESUS is forgiving…Jesus is LOVE.
I truly believe that if we were to set our sights on holiness…the enemy’s gavel would no longer be heard. “Be holy as I am holy”…as your suggested scripture states. Even in the Old Testament He said…. “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” Leviticus 19:2.
Holiness, more now than ever…is my goal.
I don’t yet know what it looks or feels like, to walk in this Holiness. But I know that if I walk so close behind my Savior…the dust form His sandals will settle on my feet. If I don’t look to the left or to the right…the enemy’s distractions lose their position in my life …and fade into the distance. I’m not there yet…but I want to walk like Jesus….in all my ways.
Serious heart to heart talk, Elaine…Thanks for provoking us to the reality of our life …with Christ. We’re never too old for the ‘classroom’….homework does a body good. Breakfast on the beach with Jesus is mighty life changing too.. just saying 🙂
Keep to it, faith Elaine
I’m right there beside you.
Patrina ><
“Move!” That’s MY take-home from this post. Thanks.
Thanks for presenting the challenge. I feel like I need to ask this question of myself frequently because I find myself replacing an old distraction with something that at first seems like a “better” distraction, but nonetheless distraction from my Lord. I appreciate you putting it out there! Love and hugs, my friends!
Have still had this post on my mind. Came back this afternoon and re-read it and even printed it out and read aloud to my husband. Then at church tonight the preacher touched on the same thing. …getting rid of things that hinder our usefulness for God. One comment he made I wrote down because I thought you would like it. He said, “If you want to get rid of the flies, take out the garbage!”
You know, it could even be good things, Marilyn . . . I’m thinking in particularly in the area of entertainment. There are some days when I’m in a funk, and I’m not even sure how I got there. If I think about it long enough, I can usually trace it back to a particular “meandering” in my day. It’s a slippery slope we’re standing on, this balancing act between two worlds. I just want to be more intentional about keeping my mind and heart pure before the Father. Yes, let’s take out the garbage!
Preach on sister Elaine! You said it all with this: “We’re killing ourselves in exchange for a few moments of temporary pleasure instead of dying to ourselves in exchange for a lifetime of eternal treasure.” That’s a quote worth writing down.
Thank you for the three points. I think I need to get out a piece of paper and write. We are called to be holy. It’s only as we surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to have His way with us that this can happen. Less of Debbie, more of Him.
I never heard this song before but certainly enjoyed it.
Blessings and love,
Debbie
What is hindering me? ME. I know that seems like such a simple answer. My pastor would call it a Sunday School answer. But, let me explain. When my eyes are on me–what I want, what I am doing, what I am looking at, etc then holiness is the last thing on my mind. However, when my focus is fully on Christ, then His Spirit will work and live through me. He will work on my thinking, my feeling, and my decisions so that they will be holy.
God has made us holy. There is no debate there. However, as we have our focus on Him, then who we are will live out in our everyday lives.
I came here this early morning while waiting to have breakfast with my daughter. Yes, I’m back in Manila… the quietness and the serenity of my father’s home always provides the right environment for the renewal and refreshment of my soul. I am never disappointed when I visit your blog. I expect to receive, and always… always, Elaine, that happens. Because you are one person who will not waste your time or your words. Thanks for the homework, so it’s not just all talk, and no walk. In my earlier days as a Christian, Tozer’s words from one of his books really spoke to me. It still speaks to me… “You are as holy as you want to be.” But distractions easily set in, and as you said, we reach the point where the distractions are given legal ground to remain, quietly dissipating our spiritual reserves. I really thank you for this timely post. It is a God moment for me. Again, thank you.
Blessings
Lidia